Orthodontic procedures typically involve repositioning a patient's teeth to a desired arrangement in order to correct malocclusions and/or improve aesthetics. To achieve these objectives, orthodontic appliances such as braces, retainers, shell aligners, and the like can be applied to the patient's teeth by an orthodontic practitioner. The appliance is configured to exert force on one or more teeth in order to effect desired tooth movements. The application of force can be periodically adjusted by the practitioner (e.g., by altering the appliance or using different types of appliances) in order to incrementally reposition the teeth to a desired arrangement.
FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary orthodontic appliance 106 and jaw 104 including a patient's teeth, as presented in US Patent Application Publication 2015/0004553, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIG. 1B illustrates orthodontic appliance cross-section 112 as taken along line 1B-1B of FIG. 1A, while FIG. 1C illustrates orthodontic appliance cross-section 118 as taken along line 1C-1C of FIG. 1A. The orthodontic appliance 106 may be designed to fit over a number of teeth present in an upper or lower jaw. As illustrated, the orthodontic appliance has a U-shaped cross-section to form one or more cavities for placement of a patient's teeth therein.